Tino Livramento of Newcastle United
Newcastle United's Tino Livramento
Pep Guardiola's interest in Newcastle United young defender Tino Livramento should come as no surprise. The former Southampton right-back has just completed an outstanding season in black-and-white, helped win the Carabao Cup, excelled on both flanks, won his first England caps and is now preparing for a second Champions League campaign.
Not bad for a 22-year-old. So it's no wonder headlines have appeared over the past week linking Livramento with a move to Manchester City. The recently deposed champions are set for a huge summer rebuild, and word has it that Guardiola has identified Tino as a key part of his plans.
City need a right-back, with Kyle Walker set to move and Matheus Nunes playing out of position in that role for much of last season. If it's guaranteed Premier League ability and bags more potential you're looking for, then Livramento would come top of anyone's list.
There was a time when stories linking United's best young talent with moves to rivals would strike fear into the hearts of the St James' Park faithful, and there has been plenty of concern over recent headlines regarding Livramento's future. But things are different on Tyneside now.
At some stage, Eddie Howe and Co will need to consider selling a big-name star in order to maitanin investment levels in the first team. It's the way football is going now, with FFP and PSR concerns to keep on top of.
But the time has not yet come when Newcastle can afford to do that without weakening their first team - and they will fight hard to avoid having to cash in before they are in a more robust place. It is why we've seen a firm response over any interest for Alexander Isak, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.
Pep Guardiolla is said to be a big fan of Newcastles Tino Livramento
This time last year, United took the tough decision to sell Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh in order to avoid any PSR issues, but there is no concern on that front this summer.
While Isak and Co take the headlines, and rightly so, Livramento has emerged as an equally important part of the long-term plan for Newcastle. With a right-sided centre-back on the transfer wishlist, he can be part of a new-look defensive unit that can serve the club for many years to come, alongside Lewis Hall and Sven Botman.
United paid Southampton £40m for Livramento's services two years ago and he has blossomed almost beyond measure in the intervening time. Not only has that been to the huge benefit of the Magpies, it also means his prictag will be astronomical. Sure, City are probably one of the few sides who could afford him, but would they seriously want to break the bank to secure his signature?
It's going to be a busy summer at the Etihad, with a deal said to be close for Wolves' attacking wing-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, while Lyon's Rayan Cherki is a target and a £46.3m deal to sign AC Milan's Tijjani Reijnders has been agreed.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak vowed a strong comeback next season after a disappointing campaign without major silverware, saying: "We will be back. This season is a season that's now behind us. Today is a new day. We start working and preparing for next season. And by the way, we've been doing that since January.
"And we will take all the good things and the not so good things from this season, and learn from it, improve from it and get better. I can assure you, this club will do everything possible to come back to the standards that we know we all can achieve - and that we know we will achieve.
"Because really, if there's one thing I'd like right now, it's to turn that page from last season and just immediately start focusing on next season. All the players, they're excited about coming back. Nobody feels good about how we finished the season.
"They want to come back, and they want to come back hungry. And I can see the hunger. Normally these players are off and they're starting to think about vacation time etc. Honestly, every player I spoke to was telling me, 'we're coming back'. That's the attitude you want - and that's exactly why you see me so positive. We're going to come back strong, with a lot of positivity."
If that's not a statement of intent then I don't know what it is, but the days of Newcastle fans worrying about the futures of their top stars are gone - as Man City may be about to find out.
Treasure a season to remember
Newcastle United's 2024-25 campaign has to rank as one of the best in living memory. Not only did Eddie Howe's side qualify for the Champions League by securing fifth place in the Premier League, but they ended their long wait for silverware by winning the Carabao Cup
Our special Chronicle end-of-season edition celebrates an incredible campaign for the Magpies, with in-depth analysis, ratings and interviews of a season to remember.
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